John gobdon



(No Model.)

J. GORDON, Jr. SHELL FOR CARRYING AND DISGHARGING OIL. No. 303,507. PatentedAug. 12, 1884.

N. PETERS. Phuw'mm m hu,wmm mu. D. c.

PATENT Fries.

- Lancer JOHN GORDON, JR, OF DUNDEE COUNTY OF FORFAR, SCOTLAND.

SHELL FOR CARRYING AND DISCHARGING OIL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 303,507, dated August 12, 1884; A pplieation filed March 5, 1884. (No model.) Patented in England January 12, 1884, No.1,332.

Z0 (LZZ whom it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, JOHN GORDON, Jr., a subject of the Queen of Great Britain and I reland and residing at Dundee, in' the county of .Forfar, North Britain, have invented certain improven'ients in apparatus for discharging oil upon the sea orwaters, when agitated,

for the purpose of calming or allaying the force thereof, applicable also to explosive projectiles, (for which I have obtained a patent in Great Britain, N 0. 1,332, dated January 12,

1884,) of which the following is a specificatlon.

This invention relates to a projectile, shell, or vessel which can be'discharged from a gun or other equivalent projecting apparatus, and which thereafter at any predetermined time will be opened or ruptured, seas to insure the escape of oil which the shell or vessel contains, and the distribution of said oil. upon the water, the rupturing of the shelll being accomplishedby means of a bursting-charge which is-exploded at the proper time by a time-fuse.

In my improved shell or vessel the bursting charge and timefuse are carried by a cha1nher with a suitable cover to retain the charge and to open on firing. The fuse is of a length timed to ignite the said charge when the can, shell, or vessel arrives at or over the place where the oil is to be distributed. I make a recess in the base of the projeetile,shell, or vessel, and cover it with a suitable cover or. filling, and shape the chamber holding the bursting-chargeand fuse so that it can be,

screwed or fixed in the said recess. Thus the said can, shell, or vessel may be used as an ordinary oil-can until it is required for use for the purposes of my invention, when the said chamber holding the burstingeharge and fuse can be attached. The charge for the gun may be put thcreinto separately, or it may be contained in a box or reeeptaclefixed to the base of the chamber holding the burstingcharge and fuse.

The accompanying drawing represents an apparatus constructed according to my inveir tion.

A is the projectile, shell, or vessel containing the oil, and provided with a cover to top piece, a, the opening through which may be closed by a cork, a or in any other suitable way. The said vessel A has a screw-threaded recess in its base at b, which is covered with a disk of thin metal, I). The chamber 0, containing the bursting charge, is covered by a disk of thin metal, 0, and is screw-threaded on its exterior, so that it can readilybe secured in the vessel A when required for use. At other times, when the fuse is not secured-in place, the vessel A may be used as an ordinary oil-can. The fuses d d are held in the projection 0, and are of a length in accordance with the time which is to elapse between the discharge from the gun and the rupture or dismemberment of the shell or vessel A.

E represents a box or receptacle fixed to the chamber 0, in which box or receptacle the charge for the gun may be contained, instead of being put independently into the gun; but of course it may be put in independently, if desired.

In order to prevent a sudden firing through the whole length of the fuse, owing to the great heat of the gun-chambei, I dip the said fuse in or coat it with a material which will be melted or liquefied by the 'heat of the discharge, and, while not extinguishing the fuse, will retard the progress of the fire along the same for the requisite time to delay the firing of the bursting-charge until the projected shell or vessel has arrived at its destination. I have found paraffine-wax a suitable substance for this purpose, and it possesses the additional advantage of being a material impervious to moisture, or practically so.

These improvements may be applied to explosive shellssuch as are used in warfarewhereby the bursting-charges and fuses can be used at the base of the projectile, and the arrangement/for having the bursting-charge separate from the shell and attachable there'- to, when desired, as hereinbefore described, can consequently be applied to shells of this class. By this means the shells can be stored separately from the bursting'charges, and so the said shells will not be liable to danger of bursting accidentally, while after the burst ing-eharges and fuse are attached to the base of the shell the practical certainty of the ignition of the fuse and subsequent bursting of the shell is insured. I

1. Apparatus for discharging oil upon the :sea or waters when agitated, consisting of a and detachably connected to the exterior of the vessel by screwing into said neck, as hercin shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name [5 tothis specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN GORDON, JR.

WVitnesses:

CHARLES WHARTON, CLAUDE WooDRoW, Both of 31 Lombard Street, London, E. O. 

